It Started with a Bump
by write-like-whoa7
Summary: A Zayn Malik/One Direction story. Katherine Ryan is living on her own, battling cancer and her family's death. After meeting Zayn and the rest of the band, will she let Zayn break down her walls?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know I'm already writing a bunch of fanfics, but I'm having a bad case of writer's block, ugh. I got this idea, I know it's not very good, but I decided to post it anyway. Please review! Hope you like it! :)**

**Katherine POV**

I walked out of the hospital, still severely shocked. I'm a pretty strong person, but everyone had their breakdown point, the point I was hitting just then. Only a month ago had my parents and three year old brother, Michael died in a fire that I had escaped from. And there I was, a month later, living on my own in London in a tiny flat just barely scraping by at age eighteen. I was just diagnosed with Leukemia right then, and I couldn't breakdown in tears until I got home.

I pushed a strand of light blonde hair behind my ears, my aquamarine eyes trying not to let tears through, and started walking to a little store near my flat to get a movie and candy, essential Katherine Ryan Breakdown ingredients. I didn't have one a lot, but when I did cry, it was hard and scary.

Distracted, I was about to walk through the store doors when I walked into something…or someone. "Better watch wear you're going," I snapped. I was usually shy and nice to everyone, but I had reached my breaking point. I had indeed run into a teenage boy about my age with tan-ish skin, brown eyes, and a dark quiff for hair. He was very hot, but with my situation, I barely noticed.

"Sorry, miss," he was obviously shocked. "But that doesn't give you a reason to snap at me! Sorry if you've had a bad day, but that doesn't mean you can take it all out on me!" I whispered, "You have no idea." I felt the first tear trickle down my cheek, and then I was full-out breaking down. I felt myself being led over to a bench and a big hand rubbing my back. I didn't even care if I was making a scene. I was having one of the worst days of my life, and no one could blame me for having to cry about it.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I shook my head and kept crying uncontrollably. "Do you need to talk about it?" I shook my head, then answered, "I don't even know your name."

"Zayn Malik," he said, still rubbing my back.

"Katherine Ryan." I felt him slip something into my purse. He then excused himself, and left. I got the torn piece of paper out of my purse. There was a number scribbled down on it and a message: **Seriously, if you need anything, call me. –Zayn XXX**

I sighed. I was shy and kept to myself, so since my whole family's death, I had left all of my friends behind and decided to start fresh. And apparently "fresh" means cancer. I got up, forgetting about my movie, and walked home. I threw myself onto my bed, and cried.

**Zayn POV**

It wasn't like me, but I couldn't get this girl Katherine out of my head. When I got back to the "Larry Stylinson" flat, as we called it, I couldn't hold it in much longer. I quickly told Liam, Niall, Louis, and Harry what had happened.

"Whoa," Harry said. "Hair?"

"Really light blonde, straight, and long," I replied. I noticed Liam was writing this all down on the "Notepad" app on his iPhone.

"Eyes?" Niall asked. I had to think about this one. I what they looked like, of course, but I couldn't quite pinpoint the color down. There were way too many.

"Like an aqua color," I said. "Imagine a bright blue, but with green in it. Kind of like the ocean. And to answer the rest of your questions, she was tiny, wearing light grey trackies and a purple shirt." Liam was writing all this down.

"Nice!" Louis said. "Wait, what's your girlfriend's name? And did you get her number?"

"Her name's Katherine Ryan, and I slipped my number in her purse," I replied dutifully.

"Seems hot," Harry said dreamily, so I slapped him on his back. "Ouch! Sorry! Just saying!" I rolled my eyes jokingly.

Suddenly, my phone started ringing from a call from an unknown number. "Hello?" I answered.

"Um, hi, Zayn?" It was Katherine! "It's Katherine Ryan, from the store." The boys got excited, clearly knowing who it was.

"Oh, hi Katherine," I said. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to apologize for today. I was being an idiot. I'm not usually like that. I've just…been having a really hard month," Katherine apologized.

"Oh, it's fine," I said. "Um, do you want to maybe come over? My best friends are all hanging out, and it would be fun." Louis gave me a thumb's up and Liam slapped me lightly on the back. I smiled cheekily at them.

"Okay, as long as I'm not intruding," she replied. God, she's so polite!

"Of course not!" I said. I told her where we were, and we hung up. I looked around me, at the GIANT mess of the flat. "Boys, it's CLEAN UP TIME!" We all rushed around and cleaned up at a record time of five minutes, finishing just as there was a knock at the door. I opened it to reveal a smiling Katharine.

"Hi Zayn!" she said. I motioned for her to come in.

"Hey Katherine," I said. "This is Harry, Liam, Louis, and Niall. Boys, this is Katherine. Try not to scare her away." Katherine laughed, but I was dead serious. The boys got in a line in front of Katherine.

"Harry Styles," Harry said, winking and taking Katherine's hand. But instead of shaking it like a NORMAL person, he kissed it, making Katherine blush.

"HI! I'M LOUIS! ZAYN HAS SAID SO MUCH ABOUT YOU!" Louis squealed, hugging a laughing Katherine. I had to remind him to let her breathe.

"Liam Payne," Liam said, thank God, only shaking her hand. "And don't worry, I'm normal most of the time."

"And I'm Niall!" Niall greeted in his friendly Irish accent. We all sat on the couch, and I motioned for Katherine to sit down next to me, which she did.

"So, the Zayn-ster here told us _all _about your little encounter at the store. Nice going," Louis said cheekily. I saw Katherine freeze and her face drop.

"Um, yeah. Again sorry about that. I've had, just, a lot going on," Katherine said awkwardly. "I shouldn't be saying this when we've just met, but my parents and baby brother dies in a fire last month, and I was diagnosed with Leukemia a couple minutes before I ran into Zayn." I was shocked, along with all the other boys. A single tear ran down her cheek, but Katherine wiped it away immediately.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," I said quietly, pulling her into a hug. Well, I guess the worst things _do _happen to the best!


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

**Katherine POV**

I couldn't believe I was crying in front of strangers for the second time that day. It was so unlike me, especially since I basically told them almost everything.

"Anyway, want to play a game?" I asked, wiping away the last of my tears and pulling away from Zayn's gentle embrace. "How about quickfire?"

"Okay!" Louis said excitedly. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Haha, nope! I barely have any friends!" I said, chuckling. _Bad, Katie, bad! Just shut up already! _"Any girlfriends?"

"Louis and I do," Liam said. "But everyone else is single. Job?"

"I work at Starbucks and Aeropostale," I replied. "You guys?"

"Umm," Harry said. All the boys were looking around uncertainly until Zayn nodded. "We're actually in a band. Ever heard of 'One Direction'?" I shook my head embarrassed.

"Sorry, I don't have much time nowadays," I answered honestly. "Can I hear you sing?" Niall shrugged.

"What Makes You Beautiful?" he suggested.

"_Baby, you light up my world like nobody else,_

_The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,_

_But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,_

_You don't know, oh oh, you don't know you're beautiful!" _The kept singing in their angelic voices, and I was stunned. How have I not heard of them?

"Wow, that was amazing! Way better than my shower singing skills!" I said. Zayn shrugged.

"Hey, let's play 'Truth or Dare'!" Louis suggested. All the boys agreed, so I shrugged. We sat in a circle on the floor. "Katherine! Truth or dare?"

"Umm...Truth!" I replied. Everyone groaned.

"Oh come on! BORE-RING!" Niall said, and everyone agreed. I rolled my eyes.

"Fine! Dare!" I said. Everyone cheered.

"I dare you to kiss Zayn!" Louis said. My cheeks turned pink, and I noticed Zayn doing the same.

"Really?" I asked embarrassed. When they all nodded, I shrugged my shoulders. I moved closer to Zayn and just as I was about to touch his lips, I swerved and kissed his cheek.

"What was that?" Liam complained. I grinned smugly.

"It's called a loophole!" I answered. The rest of the night was like that, with all the jokes, banter, and random actions from Louis.

**Zayn POV**

*the next morning.*

"She's a keeper!" Niall called. We were all in Harry and Louis' flat again eating breakfast because we had an interview in the afternoon. Niall was talking about Katherine of course, and all the boys agreed.

"Ooh, you should invite her to the interview! Uncle Simon won't care, as it's only for a few minutes and not live," Liam suggested. I shrugged and pulled out my phone, texting Katherine:

**Hey Katherine! Wanna go to an interview today with us? It's for a magazine, and only for a few minutes, and maybe we can hang out later. -Zayn XXX**

**Hi Zayn! I have a doctors appointment, but that should be over at about 12. What time is the interview? -Kat (A/N: Kat is Katherine's nickname)**

I replied saying that was good because the interview wasn't until one and told her we'd pick her up at about 12:30. I repeated the news to the boys.

"How bad do you think it is?" Harry asked suddenly. "The cancer, I mean." I shrugged, remembering all the horrible stuff Katherine had been through.

"Well, it can't be too bad if she's not constantly in the hospital," Liam guessed. I was suddenly so sad, and felt absolutely horrible for Katherine.

*skip to the actual interview*

Interviewer: So, boys, any relationships at the moment?

Liam: Louis and I both have girlfriends, but the rest of the lads are single..

Louis: AND READY TO MINGLE! Isn't that right Hazza Bear?

Harry: Erm, yes.

The interviewer chuckled, writing down the information.

Interviewer: Now, we have some questions from the fans! This one's from Isabelle from Manchester: I recently saw a picture on Twitter of some girl walking out of your flat. Who is she and why is she stealing my boys?

Me: Oh, that was our good friend, Katherine Ryan. She's actually here right now. Kat, come here!

Kat stepped forward, smiling and blushing. It was adorable how shy she was.

Interviewer: Hello Katherine! It seems as if you're getting a lot of publicity. How do you feel about all this?

Kat: Um, I don't really know! I mean, it's going to need some getting used to, since I'm obviously not famous or anything. But I think I can handle it. And I'm not dating any of them, so I shouldn't be getting much hate for just being good friends with them!

Wow, she was good at this! The guy nodded, writing it all down. We answered a few more questions, and then the interview was over.

"WELL NOW IT'S NANDOS TIME! WOO WOO!" Niall cheered as we walked out.

**A/N: I know this chapter really sucks...a lot! But please review anyway :)**


	3. Chapter 3 Six

**A/N: Hola! Well, here's the third chapter :D WOO WOO GO ME FOR UPDATING! Haha, anyway, hope you like it! Please review! I'll update again when I get...umm...5 reviews! Come on, that's not hard to do! :)**

**Zayn POV**

I was falling in love with Katherine. I couldn't help it! She was so beatiful, but she didn't know it. She was nice to everyone, and never showed how much she was hurting. I obviously didn't know what pain she was feeling, but I knew it was hard. Especially with her background. I couldn't even imagine.

We were squeezed into a booth at Nandos, and to my enjoyment, Katherine was sitting next to me. "So, Kat, how was your appointment?" I asked, and I noticed Katherine's face fall. "Oh, I'm sorry." Katherine shook her head.

"No, no, it's fine, Zayn," she said. "I start chemo next week." I nodded sadly.

"MUFFINS ARE YUMMY!" Louis screamed loudly and totally randomly. As we all cracked up, I mouthed him a "thank you" for practically saving my butt from that awkward moment.

"I like muffins too, Lou!" Katherine said in between laughs. "TWINNING!" Katherine and Louis high-fived as Harry moaned, "Aw, I like muffins too! Can I be a twin?" Louis put his arm around Harry saying, "No." Harry fake sobbed into Louis' shoulder. I shook my head at their immature acts.

After we ate, we decided to head back to Harry and Louis' flat to play Just Dance 3 on Wii. Katherine assured us that she was beast, so we were all going to try to beat her. Liam popped the disc in, and threw a controller at Kat. "Be prepared to lose, Li-Li, 'cause you're going down!" Katherine said, picking Party Rock Anthem. They started following the dancer on screen, which was hilarious because Liam's uncoordinated and Katherine was so graceful.

"Ooh, yeah, she kicked your butt!" I laughed. Katherine said, "I-I'm tired. Somebody else want to go?" I noticed that she was really out of breath and pale. The boys and I shot each other worried look.

"Are you sure you're okay, Kat?" Harry questioned. Katherine nodded. "Sorry guys. It's, um, a symptom." I nodded.

"Come here, Kat," I said. Katherine pulled herself closer to me, so I picked her up bridal style and took her to Harry's bedroom. I lied her down on the bed. Her shirt lifted up a little and I noticed a big purple and blue bruise running along her stomach. I hated this. I hated cancer.

**Katherine POV**

I was starting to fall in love with Zayn, but I had to stop. I also had to tell him, so I just wanted to get it over with. "Zayn?" I said trembling when he lied me down on the bed. I pulled the covers up closer to my chin.

"Yeah, babe?" he asked. I sighed a little.

"Six months," I said, a single tear running down my cheek. "I have six months." Zayn's jaw literally dropped, shock in his eyes. The tears escaped both of our eyes.

"It's okay, Kat," he said. I shook my head. "You're going to live." I shook my head again.

"No, I'm not," I said. "The cancer's spreading. But it's okay, I'm not afraid of death. The doctors want to try chemo, but they don't think it's going to work. Tell the others, but tell them not to be afraid. We'll make the best of these last months." Zayn nodded and disappeared. I fell asleep, thinking of how peaceful death seems, but how heart-breaking it will be to leave the five boys, the only things I was starting to love, behind.

**A/N: Sorry it's not that long, but I think the ending should keep you in suspense...Mwahahaha :) Review please! Remember, I only want five! :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Katherine POV**

I was taking a nap in my flat when there was a knock on the door. I was confused because the only people that would knock would be the boys, and they weren't coming over that day because they had to write songs for their album they were working on. I had to start chemo in a day, so I was taking it easy, knowing it would be hard.

"Zayn?" I asked when I opened the door. Zayn was standing there, and instead of his usual laid-back and cool appearance, he looked like something was bothering him.

"Sorry to barge in Kat, but I have to tell you something, and it can't wait," he said. Ever since we admitted our love for each other when I told them all about how my life was going to be cut much too short, we haven't really done anything that a couple would do, so it was clear we weren't going to be in a relationship anytime soon. And soon was the only time I had.

"It's okay, I was only taking a nap," I said. "Come in." I led Zayn to my tiny living room and we sat on the couch. My blonde hair was in a very messy bun and my blue eyes were probably bloodshot from my nap. But I didn't really care.

"I love you Katherine," he said. "I know you know this, and I know you love me too. I also know that we obviously don't have all the time in the world, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that I never got to hold you and call you mine. So what do you say, Kat? Can I take you on a date tonight?" I found myself smiling.

"Of course, Zayn," I said. I hugged him as tightly as I could. Pulling back, he kissed me firmly on the lips. It was truly magical. All the butterflies were in my stomach and my lips tingled when I kissed him back. And even if I didn't truly know what love is, I knew it was what I was feeling.

**Zayn POV**

I couldn't take it anymore. If Katherine was going to die, she needed to know exactly how I felt. People never really have an exact definition of love. I guess that's because it's different for everyone. But since I met Kat, I believe in love at first sight.

And that kiss. The only way to truly express how it felt is perfect. And I was going to make this date special. I needed to know what it was like to be able to love Katherine if she was going to...well, I can't think negative like that. Isn't that a song from Willy Wonka or something? Think Positive? Well that's what I had to do.

I left Kat's house, and walked back to my own flat. Because she was so sick, I decided to just have our date there. Not being the greatest cook, I ordered Chinese food and set my kitchen table with two sets, candles, and a table cloth. I got changed into dark jeans, a white shirt, and my normal varsity jacket. I had told Katherine I'd pick her up in an hour, and I had a half hour left, so I started driving so I could pick up some flowers. God, when did I turn into Liam?

Tonight, I was going to ask Katherine to be my girlfriend. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she really did die and had no idea how much I loved her. Is it possible to love someone when you just met them? Well, it must be, because I knew I loved Kat.

After picking up some roses, I drove over to Katherine's flat to pick her up. Nobody noticed me, which was great. Getting off the lift, I took a deep breath and knocked on Kat's door. She opened it, and I was not expecting what I saw.

"Zayn, I can't do this," she said. Her mascara was streaming down her cheeks and her blonde hair was all over the place. What was going on?

**A/N: I know it's really short, but I left a little cliff-hanger at the end! Muahaha! I'm starting to get really into my fanfic "Change", so updates may not be as frequent, since I'm not getting much feedback. But don't worry if you do like this story, I'll still update as much as I can! Please review. XD XXX.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long! I wasn't really going to update as much but some awesome people told me to update, haha! Well, enjoy and please review :)**

**Katherine POV  
><strong>_"Sometimes it lasts in love and sometimes it hurts instead."_ Zayn knocked, but I couldn't do it. For some reason, after I was done getting ready I remembered that Adele song, and it felt like she was speaking to me in a way. Obviously, my love with Zayn was not going to last if I was to die, so it was going to hurt. Hadn't I gone through enough pain.

"Zayn, I can't do this," I told the shocked figure in the doorway. The tears were falling like a waterfall. I allowed him to hug me, and I breathed in the familiar scent of his cologne and mint gum. I was wetting his shirt, but he didn't seem to mind.

"Katherine," Zayn mumbled into my hair, and I knew he was crying too. "I love you." That only made me cry harder, because I knew I loved him too.

"I love you too, Zayn," I said. "Really. But if I die, I'm only going to be more hurt. I can't deal with anymore pain!" Zayn picked me up into his arms and sat us down on the bed. I don't know how long we were sitting there, but it really calmed me down.

"I'm sorry," I said. "Now let's go. We have a date." He smiled at me and let me get up. I knew I was getting weaker by the minute, the cancer was spreading, because I had to hold onto Zayn's arm and he had to help me into the car. It wasn't normal for an eighteen year old, but I've never been normal.

We drove in a comfortable silence until we reached the complex building. Zayn grabbed my hand and helped me out of the car.

"Thank you Zayn," I told him. I didn't just mean for helping me out of the car, but for everything. He made the last of my life so much happier.

"Now, we're going to try to make this as normal as possible, okay?" Zayn told me when we reached his flat. He sat me down at the dining room table. The lights were dimmed and candles were lit in the center. It was so romantic. Zayn had cooked us steak, so we ate, joking around, flirting, and talking like normal.

After dinner, Zayn and I sat down on the couch and put on "Love Actually." I sat in Zayn's lap, our hands entwined and my head resting on his shoulder. Randomly during the movie, Zayn reached down and kissed me. I got tingles in my fingers as I wrapped them around his neck. His hands were around my waist, holding me up as we kissed. I wanted to spend forever there, in his arms, his lips on mine. But I couldn't. Because I was running out of time.

**A/N: So how was that? Short little chapter, but I thought it was okay! Haha, please review :) They really make my day :D xxx**


	6. Chapter 6 KONY 2012

**A/N: Sorry for the update, this isn't a chapter. This is a message. If you haven't heard of Kony 2012, go on youtube and look it up. It is honestly the most inspirational video I have ever seen. If you have seen it, please spread the word by posting it on your Facebook, Twitter, and/or Tumblr. I think we can all agree that this needs to be stopped. Also, please try to get it to One Direction. That's five celebrities right there. I know everyone is trying to get it to them, but if we all do (I don't have a Twitter, so unfortunately I cannot) it can make a difference. Please, please, please! I know that the video is about a half hour, but it's worth it.**

**Thank you! :) xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This is only an Author's Note, sorry!**

**This is actually a disclaimer so I don't get sued or something.**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE REAL PEOPLE IN THIS STORY OR NAMES YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE. I ONLY OWN THE CHARACTERS I CREATED, AND THE PEOPLE WHO CREATED THEIR OWN CHARACTERS OWN THEM. (In my Gallagher Girls story, I do not own any of Ally Carter's characters.)**

**Thank you :D**


	8. Chapter 8

Okay, so this is just an A/N. Sorry!

I literally just found out I was nominated for best new comer in the One Direction FF Awards!

I'm literally freaking out! Hahaha!

Please vote for me!

Link (withought parentheses or spaces): fanfiction (.) net/u/3767163/2012_One_Direction_FF_Awards

Thank you to those who vote! Love you all!

xxx


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